Clam bucket



Oct. 11, 1932. J. w. 'EMERICK ET AL CLAM BUCKET Filed May 28, 1931 mvENTdRs Jo/z Emem'c/r William .ZSZL'mer/ck ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 11, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE] JOHN w. EMERICK, or'nnrnorr. AND WILLIAM. E. EMERICK, or MO NT CLEMENS,

MICHIGAN CLAM BUCKET Application filed May 28, 1931. Serial No. 540,590.

The present invention pertains to a novel cover and cleaner for clam buckets of a type particularly adapted to facilitate excavating operations under adverse conditionssuch as in soft wet clay, under water or for handling scrape the inner wall in a manner to clean the same and insure a complete emptying of the bucket. The advantages of such a device are apparent when excavating soft or moist clay which has a tendency to cling to the inside of the bucket and which must ordinarily be cleaned or scraped off with a shovel or a crow-bar while the advantage of the sec ond function of the plates becomes apparent in such cases as digging under water. In the latter use the bucket full of soil or dirt must be conveyed to the surface of the water and the water currents and suction caused by the upward movement of the bucket causes a large portion and in some cases the entire load to be washed out of the bucket while in the present case the load is protected by the plates frombeing washed away. The same action takes place in handling fine material such as flour in a high wind in which case the present covers prevent the possibility of the flour being blown away. 7

lVit-h the above 'and'other ends in view the invention consists in matter hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in g the appended claims reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the present clam bucket;

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross sectional view a thereof Fig. 3 is a cross sectional side elevation illustrating the clam bucket in the open position;' V

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the cover and cleaner plates and the supporting plate therefor removed from the clam bucket, and

Fig. 5'is a top plan view'of the cleaner plates. p

Like characters of reference are employed throughout to designate corresponding parts.

The present cover and cleaner'is illustrated in combination with a conventional clam bucket and it is to be understood that its use is not confined to this particular bucket alone, the bucket merely serving as an illustration of the installation of the cover and cleaner. The clam bucket comprises a pair of scoops l that are pivotally mounted as at 2 upon a transversely extending shaft 3. Links 4 are connected to the four corners of the clam'bucket as at 5 and extend upwardly, the links on opposite sides being connected in pairs to a shaft 6 that extends transversely between the plates 7. Between the plates 7 are rotatably mounted pulleys 8 and the bucket supporting cables 9 are trained behind or inside these pulleys and then under the pulleys or sheaves 10 and are then permanently secured to the upper extremity of the arms 11 that are piv-- otally mounted upon the shaft 3 to extend upwardly a .considerable distance above the same. Mounted between the plates 7 are a pair of sheaves 12 andsupported by plates 13 are three pulleys 14 and a cable 15 is looped. around the pulleys 12 and 15 and the end of the cable then secured to one of the plates 7 as at 16. 1

The present cover and cleaner comprises a pair of plates17 that are provided with loops 18 to surround the shaft 3 in a manner to pivotally attach the plates thereto, the plates extending outwardly a distance that permits the ends thereof to scrape the inner Walls of the scoop 1. A plate 19, having an the upper ends of the rods passing through openings 19 in the plate 19. The upper ends of the rods 20 have coiled springs 22 sleeved thereon tobutt against the upper surface of the plate 19 and against retainer members 23 that are secured upon the upper ends of the rods and in this manner the rods 20 hold the plate17 ordinarily in a horizontal plane 7 or parallel to the plate 19 although they permit the plates 17 to be moved to an angle relative to the horizontal plane when the bucket is in the closed positionas illustrated in Fig. 1. v

The operation will be described in changing the clam bucket from the loaded pos tion illustrated in Fig. 1 to the unloaded position fro1n the bucket.

illustrated in'Fig. 3. The pressure on the Cable 15 is released and the weight of the bucket plus its load then rests upon the cables 9. The manner in which the cables 9 pass under the pulleys 10 and then upwardly to the arms 11 causes the cables 9 to-pull downvwardly upon the arms 11. Downward movement of the arms 9 causes upward movement of the pulleys 10 and causes upward move-' ment of the links f which in turn cause the plates 7 to be moved a greater d? stance away In this manner the two scoops 1 are drawn upwardly until they are above the shaft 3 but during the initial opening movement the plates 17 remain at the upper portion ofthe scoops luntil the upper edges 24 of the scoops-become parallel toa Ordinarily the load will horizontal plane. hold the plates in this position but in handling certain materials the bucket is not entirely filled and therefore the rods 20 and springs 22 are employed to hold the plates up; As the bucket scoops 1 continue opening movement they are raised above the plates 17 and the edges of the latter scrape the inside of the bucket scoops.

In filling or loading theebucket the latter is dropped into the material to be dug and the plates 17 prevent the dirt and clay from getting intothe pulleys 14 and cable 15', the

I cables 9 are then slacked and the cable 15 is drawn tight and this causes the pulleys 12 and 14c to be drawn towards each other, thus moving the plates 7 nearer to the shaft 3. This movement can only be accompanied-by downward and outward movement of the links 4 which causes the two bucket scoops 1 to be moved together. WVhen the two scoops are together the plates 17 are held at the top thereof in a manner to cover the same and prevent the loss of any of the material therein While the bucketis being moved through air or water.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and 7 described it is to be understood that various of a pair of plates pivotally mounted upon 7 said shaft and extending outwardly to scrape the inner wall of said scoops, and

.resilient means for maintaining said plates at the top of said scoops in a manner to cover the same. 1 I

' 2. The combination with a clam bucket comprising a pair of scoops pivotally secured together by a transversely extending shaftof a plate mounted upon said shaft to extend outwardly tangentially in relation thereto, a pair of plates pivotally mounted upon said shaft to extend outwardly in radial relation thereto, and means for connecting said pivoted plates to said first named plate.

3. The combination with a clambucket comprising a pair of scoops pivotally secured together by a transversely extending shaft, of a plate mounted upon said shaft to extend outwardly tangentially inrelation thereto, a pair of platespivotally mounted upon said shaft to extend outwardly in radial relation thereto, and rods having their lower ends connected to said pivoted plates and their upper ends resiliently connected to said first named .extending through said first named plate, 7 retainer members mounted upon the upper extremities of said rods, and coiled springs sleeved on said rods between said retainer members and saidfirst named plate.

5. The combination with a clam bucket comprising a pair of scoops, of a transversely extending shaft pivotally connecting said scoops together, a plate having a sleeve formed on the bottom thereof to receive said shaft in a manner to mount said plate thereon to extend outwardly tangentially in relation thereto, a pair of plates havingloops receiving said shaft in a manner to pivotally support said plates thereon to extend outwardly radially in relation thereto whereby they engage the inner surfaces of said scoops,

tures.

JOHN W. EMERICK. WILLIAM E. EMEBICK. 

